Fife

Pittenweem in
Fife

Fife is one of the 32 unitary council areas into which
Scotland has been divided since 1996. Of all of
Scotland's mainland council areas, Fife has been the most constant and least
altered. Between 1975 and 1996 it was a region, and before 1975 it was one of
Scotland's traditional counties, sometimes called Fifeshire. For accommodation
in Fife and a full list of features, see our
Kingdom of Fife area pages.

Fife's existence as a distinct entity can actually be traced back
even further: to the Pictish Kingdom of Fib in the centuries after the
departure of the Romans. It is for this reason that Fife is commonly referred
to as "The Kingdom of Fife", or simply "The Kingdom".

This constancy of existence may in part be due to geography. Fife
occupies the peninsula formed by the Firth of Forth to the South and the Firth
of Tay to the north. It isn't an island but until relatively recent times you
needed a ferry or a long detour to reach it from most other parts of
Scotland.

In terms of size, Fife is the 13th largest council area in
Scotland, while in terms of population it is ranked 3rd. In part this reflects
the industrial heritage of the central and western parts of Fife: and while the
Fife Coalfield has long gone, new industries have grown up in large towns like
Glenrothes,Kirkcaldy and
Dunfermline. The eastern
part of Fife is a contrast to its other two thirds. The main settlements are
Cupar and, in the far north east,
St Andrews, home to
Scotland's oldest university and,
perhaps more famously, home to the game of golf.

The coastline of Fife overlooking the Firth of Forth is home to a
series of harbours and ports that get increasingly attractive the further east
you go, with those in the "East Neuk" of Fife being some of the most
picturesque villages anywhere in Scotland.

From the point of view of local authority coverage, the area now
covered by Fife formed the traditional county of Fife. A tidying up of the map
of counties which reduced their number to 33 in 1890 transferred ownership of
an exclave of Perthshire around
Culross and Tulliallan to Fife,
but otherwise its boundaries have been unchanged.

When Fife became one of the 12 regions into which
Scotland was divided from 1975 to 1996, it formed the
upper of two tiers of local government. The lower tier comprised three district
councils: North East Fife,Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline, whose areas reflected traditional
divisions within Fife. In 1996, a further major reorganisation swept away
Scotland's regions and districts and replaced them with 32 unitary councils.
Fife became a unitary council area and has since divided its area into three
management areas based on the boundaries of the three district councils. They
are called St Andrews & East Fife; Kirkcaldy & Mid Fife; and
Dunfermline & West Fife.